Silver halide color photographic materials are prepared by coating a support with three silver halide color photographic emulsion layers selectively rendered sensitive to blue, green and red lights. For example, photographic materials for color negatives have a blue-sensitive emulsion layer, a green-sensitive emulsion layer and a red-sensitive emulsion layer successively arranged on a support, with the first mentioned layer being on the top. A bleachable yellow filter layer is disposed between the blue- and green-sensitive layers to absorb any blue light that penetrates the blue-sensitive layer. Other intermediate layers having specific purposes are placed between each emulsion layer, and a protective layer is formed as the outermost layer. Photographic materials for color printing paper have a red-sensitive emulsion layer, a green-sensitive emulsion layer, and a blue-sensitive emulsion layer, successively formed on a support, with the red-sensitive layer being on the top. As in the photographic materials for color negatives, an UV absorbing layer and other intermediate layers having specific purposes, as well as a protective layer are incorporated in the photographic materials for color printing paper. In either case, the respective emulsion layers may be arranged in orders other than those specified above. Instead of using only one emulsion layer sensitive to a particular spectrum, two layers having sensitivity to substantially the same spectrum may be used. After exposure to light, these silver halide color photographic materials are developed by color developing agents such as aromatic primary amine compounds, and the oxidation product of the color developing agent formed as a result of development of the silver halide grains reacts with a dye forming coupler to provide a dye image. In this photographic processing, cyan dye images are formed by phenol or naphthol cyan couplers; magenta dye images are formed by 5-pyrazolone, pyrazolinobenzimidazole, pyrazolotriazole, indazolone or cyanoacetyl magenta couplers; and yellow dye images are formed by acylacetamide or benzoylmethane yellow couplers. These dye forming couplers are incorporated in either the photographic emulsion layers or the developer.
The dye images on the color photographic products produced by the process described above may fade upon prolonged exposure to light during storage. Alternatively, the photographic products are stored in a dark area and will be exposed to light for only a short time, but depending upon the condition of the storage, a serious fading may occur. The first type of fading is generally referred to as light fading, and the second type is called dark fading. In order to prepare images of archival quality from color photographic products, the degree of fading, whether it is light fading or dark fading, must be held to minimum. However, no conventional color photographic material provides dye images having satisfactory resistance to fading. Furthermore, cyan, magenta and yellow dyes fade by different degrees, and the overall color balance among the dye images may be change after storage. To solve these problems, selected couplers capable of forming less fading dye images have been used, or various anti-fading agents have been employed.
In order to prevent light fading in the dye images, methods have been proposed for incorporating UV absorbers or UV absorbing filter layers in the color photographic product. But to achieve a satisfactory degree of light fastness, a relatively large amount of UV absorber is necessary, and if it is used too much, it stains the final color photographic image or its solubility in high-boiling solvents is decreased to increase the chance of crystallization. As a further disadvantage, if the color photographic image is exposed to strong actinic radiation for a prolonged period, the UV absorber is decomposed and its effectiveness is decreased to cause accelerated light fading. More importantly, UV absorbers are entirely ineffective against fading due to visible light. Agents effective against light fading have been proposed, and among them are compounds having a phenolic hydroxyl group or a group capable of forming a phenolic hydroxyl group upon hydrolysis: Japanese Patent Publications Nos. 31256/73 and 31625/73 propose the use of bisphenols; U.S. Pat. No. 3,069,262 discloses pyrogallol, gallic acid and esters or acyl derivatives thereof; U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,432,300 and 3,574,627 disclose 6-hydroxychromans; U.S. Pat. No. 3,573,050 describes 5-hydroxychromans; and Japanese Patent Publication No. 20977/74 discloses 6,6'-dihydroxy-2,2'-bispyrochromans. Some of these compounds are certainly effective against light fading, but they are entirely ineffective against dark fading or may even accelerate the same. Others are effective for only a certain period of time and thereafter their effectiveness is greatly reduced or even lost completely. Among the compounds listed above, some are known to contaminate the dye images by staining. As a further defect, compounds effective against fading in magenta dye images enhance the fading of cyan dye images.